The Denver Civic Theatre: Is it really cursed?

So is the New Denver Civic Theatre really where good theater goes to die? If so, why? I wanna know … Weigh in here …

——

In the wake of the New Denver Civic Theatre’s most recent troubles (read about it here, a reader opined, “that building is cursed.”

Opened in 1986 by Henry Lowenstein, you wouldn’t think so. Sure, parking is a pill, but that’s true at most theaters. The Civic has 289-seat and 105-seat theaters, a bar, liquor license, art gallery, and the potential for a restaurant or cafe. There’s no reason in the world it shouldn’t work for … someone. Is there?

And yet the list of characters and companies that have come and gone (some reputable, others nefarious) is long and sad, including Industrial Arts, HorseChart, Brantley Dunaway, Mitchell Maxwell, Richard Bernstein and Theatre Group among them.

Did Maxwell (of New York’s Sibling Entertainment) drain the last drop of good juju out of the building when he aced El Centro Su Teatro out of that space in 2002? A neighborhood group called the Poder Advocacy Council says they have feel left out of the Denver Civic Theatre ever since Sibling took over.

So is the New Denver Civic Theatre really where good theater goes to die? If so, why? I wanna know … Weigh in here …

I’ll go ahead and post responses I’ve already received here, just to get the dialogue started:

The close relationship of the parties defaulting and foreclosing makes it appear as if this may be a gambit to break a lease favorable to the lessees of the black box theater. It is hard for me to believe that a bank would have allowed the circumstances to occur. If the story’s facts are correct, it is even worse that the parties leased to 1883 knowing they were in default of the lease but not disclosing to 1883 that fact.

Which brings me to another issue, the fact is, contrary to the quoted comments this situation is not like the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. The Denver Center for the Performing Arts property is owned by the City of Denver and is heavily financed by governmental funds in the form of the SCFD funding. That funding makes it possible to advertise heavily to have light rail stop proclaim it’s a performing arts stop, have their location proclaimed the the theater district on lighted billboards etc. etc. Knowing that the city of Denver owns property and having a long-term contract with them is a no risk situation. Kudos to Reyna and Al and 1883 for having the guts to do their art and risk their entire financial worth to provide laughter and entertainment to us all. They truly have competed with the Denver Center Performing Arts marketing juggernaut with confidence and style. It is my opinion that if the city of Denver had purchased the Denver Civic instead of allowing the nonprofit that was the Denver Civic Theatre to be raped, the theaters at the Civic would still be operating with quality entertainment for the members of the city of Denver instead of padlocked. And we do need more laughter these days!

Kurt Lewis, Crossroads Theater at Five Points

—

What goes around, come around.
Now we may know why DCT was so rough on one of its acting troops- Theater Off Broadway- expelled that group and revenue source.
Peter B

—

I have $50 to give today if this will help… If we get at least 100,000 people to give $1 or more we could save the Theater…… Come on people, let’s do this……
Trish A

—

What a convoluted management / ownership – my hat is off to the DP for trying to make something so confusing simple to understand. Hopefully 1883 will be able to continue with their shows — if not here then somewhere else.
Becky C

John Moore

I’ll go ahead and post responses I’ve already received here, just to get the dialogue started:

The close relationship of the parties defaulting and foreclosing makes it appear as if this may be a gambit to break a lease favorable to the lessees of the black box theater. It is hard for me to believe that a bank would have allowed the circumstances to occur. If the story’s facts are correct, it is even worse that the parties leased to 1883 knowing they were in default of the lease but not disclosing to 1883 that fact.

Which brings me to another issue, the fact is, contrary to the quoted comments this situation is not like the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. The Denver Center for the Performing Arts property is owned by the City of Denver and is heavily financed by governmental funds in the form of the SCFD funding. That funding makes it possible to advertise heavily to have light rail stop proclaim it’s a performing arts stop, have their location proclaimed the the theater district on lighted billboards etc. etc. Knowing that the city of Denver owns property and having a long-term contract with them is a no risk situation. Kudos to Reyna and Al and 1883 for having the guts to do their art and risk their entire financial worth to provide laughter and entertainment to us all. They truly have competed with the Denver Center Performing Arts marketing juggernaut with confidence and style. It is my opinion that if the city of Denver had purchased the Denver Civic instead of allowing the nonprofit that was the Denver Civic Theatre to be raped, the theaters at the Civic would still be operating with quality entertainment for the members of the city of Denver instead of padlocked. And we do need more laughter these days!

Kurt Lewis, Crossroads Theater at Five Points

—

What goes around, come around.
Now we may know why DCT was so rough on one of its acting troops- Theater Off Broadway- expelled that group and revenue source.
Peter B

—

I have $50 to give today if this will help… If we get at least 100,000 people to give $1 or more we could save the Theater…… Come on people, let’s do this……
Trish A

—

What a convoluted management / ownership – my hat is off to the DP for trying to make something so confusing simple to understand. Hopefully 1883 will be able to continue with their shows — if not here then somewhere else.
Becky C

John Moore

Rick Bernstein did the exact same thing to us with “The Great American Trailer Park Musical.” I was amused by his comment in today’s A&E regarding the practical taking precedence over the legal. In other words, to hell with our contractual obligations. Deja vu! The problem is that Reyna has no one to hold accountable. Her lease is, like ours was, with an entity that has no assets. That’s why Bernstein can simply lock them out without fear of repercussions.
Gary Schnell

John Moore

Rick Bernstein did the exact same thing to us with “The Great American Trailer Park Musical.” I was amused by his comment in today’s A&E regarding the practical taking precedence over the legal. In other words, to hell with our contractual obligations. Deja vu! The problem is that Reyna has no one to hold accountable. Her lease is, like ours was, with an entity that has no assets. That’s why Bernstein can simply lock them out without fear of repercussions.
Gary Schnell

Dano

My apologies for a such a light comment, but the one time I played there, I swear, it felt haunted. And not in that good way.

Dano

My apologies for a such a light comment, but the one time I played there, I swear, it felt haunted. And not in that good way.

P@

Well, having worked in another large venue in Denver that seems to be a black hole of death for theatres (hint its large and sitting empty on bowles). I do think there is something to bad ju-ju in a space and that certainly can effect the success of a company, but I believe even more that the managment and the desicions made by the people in power have a bigger effect on the success of the company. In my outsider view of the Civic it was booming when Menopause was selling out every show and the owners never took proper advantage of having another show in the black box that could be effective (why they didn’t put in a show for the husbands of the wives that attentended menopause I will never know). Since Menopause there has never really been anything in that space that has caught the attention of the theatre going community (with the exception of Trailer Park which is still one of the funniest things I have ever seen). The problem I believe is that no one at the Civic (or whoever was leasing it) understands how to market or more importantly niche’ marketing, meaning figure out exactly who you the show that is inhabiting the walls appeals to and how to get out the word that the show is going on. I believe that along with tough parking situation makes it tough for anyone to succeed. I think 1883 was headed in the right direction, but it sounds like they were hamstrung by the space and now the landlords, I hope 1883 finds a space they can use because they have a very spesific product that they are selling and it appeals to a very exact and direct niche’ in my opinon they are poised for success if they can just get some of the major pieces to fall into place. Remember if THEATRE happens in a forrest and there is no one there to hear it or see it, is it art? The answer is NO — no one saw it… IT DIDN’T MATTER!!

P@

Well, having worked in another large venue in Denver that seems to be a black hole of death for theatres (hint its large and sitting empty on bowles). I do think there is something to bad ju-ju in a space and that certainly can effect the success of a company, but I believe even more that the managment and the desicions made by the people in power have a bigger effect on the success of the company. In my outsider view of the Civic it was booming when Menopause was selling out every show and the owners never took proper advantage of having another show in the black box that could be effective (why they didn’t put in a show for the husbands of the wives that attentended menopause I will never know). Since Menopause there has never really been anything in that space that has caught the attention of the theatre going community (with the exception of Trailer Park which is still one of the funniest things I have ever seen). The problem I believe is that no one at the Civic (or whoever was leasing it) understands how to market or more importantly niche’ marketing, meaning figure out exactly who you the show that is inhabiting the walls appeals to and how to get out the word that the show is going on. I believe that along with tough parking situation makes it tough for anyone to succeed. I think 1883 was headed in the right direction, but it sounds like they were hamstrung by the space and now the landlords, I hope 1883 finds a space they can use because they have a very spesific product that they are selling and it appeals to a very exact and direct niche’ in my opinon they are poised for success if they can just get some of the major pieces to fall into place. Remember if THEATRE happens in a forrest and there is no one there to hear it or see it, is it art? The answer is NO — no one saw it… IT DIDN’T MATTER!!